Just a little too late
by Peachy Hikaru
Summary: In which Soujiroh realizes that he needs Yuuki, only when she's about to leave for good. Picks up right after the movie ends. drabble-ish.
1. Chapter 1

A passer-by would have stood and stared at the bizarre situation unfolding on the pavement along the biggest bookstore in Tokyo.

A tea-ceremony enthusiast would have gaped in shock at the sight of the renowned Nishikado Soujiroh, who was something of a legend, sprinting away from the bookstore where he was supposed to be doing a meet and greet, chased by a pretty young lady in her early twenties, who was screaming his name.

For said girl, Matsuoka Yuuki, this situation was tragically normal.

What wasn't normal, however, was the thoughts that were running through her mind as she raced after him. Maybe it was the changed situation, or the fact that she'd had such incredible news and wanted him to be the first one she was sharing it with.

Well, two pieces of news, if one wanted to be specific. One, that she was graduating summa cum laude for business and marketing from her university, and two, that an exclusive firm based in London had already called her with a job offer, apparently impressed with the glowing recommendation she'd received from an affiliated firm here in Japan she'd done an internship with.

She had literally just gotten off the phone with the head of HR at the firm when she rushed over, wanting to tell Soujiroh her news, and also to ask for his advice. She didn't know what she had expected, but somehow, this wasn't it.

Somehow, this silly game of chase was no longer okay with her. Maybe it was because her life had now opened up and crystallized in front of her eyes, and chasing after a man who would never love her back was not something she wanted. Maybe it was just that after six years, she was just tired of the emotional wringer he was putting her through. Whatever it was, she stopped running, breathing heavily, but standing ramrod straight, watching as his figure grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

Then she turned, and walked away. Maybe this was the answer she had been looking for from Nishikado-san.

Because when the gentleman on the phone had mentioned moving to London, her first thought had been, _how can I possibly leave Nishikado-san?_ And she had hoped, however foolishly, that when she told him her news, he would have the same horrified reaction. But he hadn't even been interested to hear what she had to tell him, and that, more than anything else, spoke volumes to her.

It was time to grow up and face reality. She was no longer the naïve seventeen-year-old with stars in her eyes, who could afford to chase an unattainable dream. She was twenty-three now, and even if she could never dare to call herself Nishikado Soujiroh's equal, she knew enough to know that it was time to move on, to stop making decisions based on a foolish pipe dream she'd held on to stubbornly for years.

In her own way, maybe she'd been as stubbornly tenacious as Tsukushi had always been. It was just too bad that she'd wasted all that time and energy on something pointless and fruitless, that despite all her fighting, she hadn't gotten her happy ending like Tsukushi had.

It seemed almost like the end of an era, as she walked away from the chase, from Nishikado-san, from the embarrassments that she had suffered at his hands without complaining for six years. A bittersweet ending, because while she felt lighter than she had in a long time, there were pangs of regret that she hadn't gotten her happy ending here.

She stood at the corner of the sidewalk where Soujiroh had first found her crying, and taken her to his home. She leaned against a lamppost, just staring blankly as thoughts raced through her head. How fitting, she mused, that the place where it all began was just down the road from where it had just ended – one full circle. Somehow, this place had always been a Mecca for her ever since that fateful night – she came here to remember, to reminisce, and to find strength. Now, though, she stood here as she bid farewell to what she had known for so many years, to the dream she had wanted to come true so very badly.

Then she turned away, and just wandered around the streets of Tokyo for a long time, absently noting the places where something between Soujiroh and herself had happened – the cinema, the bar, which was now closed since it was the middle of the day, and so many little cafes.

She could remember the moments they'd shared in every one of them, moments that had made her so happy and hopeful, and moments that had made her feel like giving up altogether. The fact that she'd persevered on had always been a point of personal pride for her, because she'd always believed that if she tried hard enough, and just believed wholeheartedly in Nishikado-san, that one day he would reciprocate her feelings. She felt a little silly now, looking back, for not noticing his blatant disinterest in her romantically, seeing her only as an annoying little sister of sorts, if even that.

Then she looked up at the sky and grinned, shaking off the last of her melancholy. Live and learn, she mused. It was time for the adventure of a lifetime, and boy was she ready. It was time to see the world, to travel to Europe – Europe! For a girl like her, who'd never even left Japan before, this had never been something that was even on her radar, nothing she'd even dared to dream of before.

So maybe she hadn't gotten Nishikado-san, but so what? She hadn't been able to make that dream come true, but she had a new dream now, one that had previously seemed equally unattainable, a complete fantasy.

She flipped open her phone to call Tsukushi. They were going to squeal about this for a few hours, then Tsukushi would round up the whole gang and they were going to celebrate.

And tomorrow… she would call the HR department to accept the job, and her new life could finally begin. As she thought about it, she realized that she couldn't wait. It was time to leave the follies of her adolescence behind her, in Japan, where they belonged, and start afresh in another country. Reinvigorated and renewed, she walked purposefully back to her family home to break the news to her parents.

* * *

Nishikado Soujiroh was a smart man, a rational, sensible man – most of the time. He made good business decisions, had chasing women down to a science – or elevated to an art, however you preferred to call it – was articulate, sophisticated, and mature.

Unless it came to one Matsuoka Yuuki. Then, somehow, he regressed into a childish adolescent, playing this silly game of catch with her. He smiled fondly as he recalled their antics – well, not their antics, per se, more like his shenanigans, accompanied by her trademark adorably confused expression.

He looked behind him and saw she was gone, and stopped running. He wondered what an appropriate feeling was at this point in time, because he honestly didn't know what the feeling in him was. Maybe disappointment, that she hadn't followed, and amusement, although directed at her or himself he wasn't very sure. Not that it mattered, though, since she would be back soon enough.

He frowned slightly as he contemplated the direction his life was taking, in an introspective moment rare to him. This ridiculous game of chase had been going on for too long, and was no longer fun. It was a sort of habit by now, something he did by rote, but as hard as it was to admit, even to himself, he found himself increasingly wanting to settle down, to move on with his life. And somehow, he just couldn't imagine anyone else as perfect for him as Yuuki.

He didn't want to be like his father, the man who'd married for the benefit of the family business, and then spent all his free time and spare money on alcohol and women, and yet that was the direction his own life was taking.

He tried to imagine how life would be like if Yuuki wasn't in it, and as hard as it was to admit, even to himself, he'd grown a lot more reliant on her sweet, smiling face, shining unconditional love and care at him, to the extent that he'd even begun to take it for granted. How many times had she helped him out? Whether it was just listening to him whine when he'd had a bad day and didn't feel like putting up with the ribbing from the rest of the F4, or pretending to be his girlfriend to chase away a persistent suitor, or even what she'd done with Sara, helping him find what he'd lost.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, frowning as he walked back to the bookstore to finish the signing – if all his fans hadn't left, anyway. Maybe it was time to break himself out of the rut he'd been in, the rut that had been worn in by his father. And if he wasn't careful, he'd find himself unable to climb out.

But how? Was it time for something he'd never even considered a feasible and appropriate thought for him to have before – commitment and marriage? He stared up at the cloudless blue sky for a moment, just imagining what it would be like, coming home to Yuuki every night after work, instead of hanging out at the bars like he did now. He imagined himself in Tsukasa's shoes, putting himself into his cute little domestic situation. Right at this moment, he and Tsukishi were back on their island, renewing their vows or whatever.

He imagined Yuuki, pregnant with his children, greeting him every night after a long, hard day at work with a bowl of tea, her sweet smile shining at him, soothing his soul. He imagined small children, perfect combinations of him and Yuuki, running up to him in excitement as he'd never done with his father, lazy Sundays snuggling together in bed as a family, and going on family outings to the zoo and the park, and wherever children liked to go. And he smiled.

Somehow, the thought didn't fill him with the sort of repulsion that he'd always imagined would come as a knee-jerk reaction after seeing the reality of his own family's situation. And maybe it was because of Yuuki, because she was special, and essential to his life. Maybe, just maybe, it was time for a change.

With renewed vigour, he strode on. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

Yay I finally finished it! I hope you all like where I ended it; I had initially been thinking about doing a confrontation scene between the two (at the celebration party or something) but I thought this would be better, leaving it at the point where Soujiroh has the realization that Yuuki is pretty much his other half, but too late.

I've been working on this on and off for a few months now, and I've been toying with the idea of making it a full story (in which case this would be the prologue). It'll remain as a drabble for now, but with a lot of my other one-shots, if you want to see more, please let me know and I'll see what I can do! (eventually, jc life is so busy I can't even describe. At the moment I have to cram for my CTs so can you spell screwed lmao).

See you all soon!

Love,

Peachy Hikaru


	2. Chapter 2

"Ehh? You're graduating summa cum laude?! That's amazing, Yuuki-chan!" Tsukushi gushed over the phone. She had just gotten back from the island with Tsukasa and called her friend to let her know she was back safely. The news was, while incredible, not entirely unexpected, since Yuuki had always had impeccable grades ever since elementary school, and had worked incredibly hard all through university.

"It was such a surprise to me too!" Yuuki confessed. She sounded slightly drunk and effervescent - considering she had such good news, Tsukushi supposed she couldn't blame her.

"And that's not even the best part!" Yuuki continued. "Remember that firm I did the summer internship with, the one Domyouji-san recommended me for?"

When Tsukushi gave her assent, Yuuki giggled. "Well, they have an affiliated firm in the UK, and they apparently liked me so much they recommended me to that firm! I'm going to work in London!"

Tsukasa, sitting next to Tsukushi in the limo, was checking his emails when he heard the screaming coming from Tsukushi, and astonishingly enough, her cell phone as well. He gaped for a moment - he had never known his wife to be prone to histrionics, and the girl on the phone was screaming loud enough to wake the dead!

"Yuuki-chan is going to work in London!" Tsukushi screamed at him joyfully when he interrupted to ask what was going on.

"That's incredible… a commoner getting to work overseas, and right after graduation too? Congratulations, Yuuki-chan!" Tsukasa bellowed into the phone, which he wrested from Tsukushi's grip. "We should get the whole gang together and celebrate! Tomorrow night, at the Domyouji house!" he decided. He had grown fond of the commoner girl over the years. She was a good friend to Tsukushi, and she was clever and cute. He'd thought about hiring her, but Tsukushi had just frowned and told him that Yuuki needed to make her own way in life when he'd brought the topic up.

Tsukushi tsked at him. "Don't make decisions all by yourself! That does sound like a good idea, though… Yuuki-chan, are you free tomorrow night? You must be very busy with the packing… when are you leaving?"

Soon, all the details were hammered out and Tsukasa was busily calling catering companies to find one that was able to cover the party on such short notice, and that served food he could bring himself to eat. He supposed that since it was a special occasion he could compromise a little… if there was no uni sushi he would have to deal with it. He was becoming so mature!

Next to him, Tsukushi said her goodbyes to Yuuki and hung up, then rested her head on his shoulder with a happy sigh. "London, hmm? How exciting for Yuuki!" she mused.

He laughed at her. "You've been to London! And all over the world, too!" How silly of her, being jealous of Yuuki.

"Well, yes but… Yuuki's never been able to go overseas before, she couldn't afford it! This is so exciting for her, and it's for business too. An overseas firm recruiting you… that's the commoner's dream," she said teasingly, borrowing his overused term for normal people.

He huffed. "Of course I know that, stupid!" he exclaimed. "Do you think Soujiroh knows?" he wondered.

"Of course he does! He's the first person she would go to with this kind of news!" Tsukushi scoffed.

"Hmm, that's true," he acknowledged before calling Nishida to command him to settle the details for the party tomorrow, since Tsukasa had gotten annoyed after the first two catering companies he'd called had been fully booked.

"We should go shopping tonight, get something nice for Yuuki-chan," Tsukushi commented when he'd gotten off the phone. "Maybe a pretty necklace or a watch… what do you think?" He hummed in agreement, settling back into the seat of the limo to close his eyes for a bit.

Later that evening, the F4 were sitting in the VIP room of one of the bars they frequented, when Tsukasa called Rui. "Hey Rui, I'm not coming tonight. I'm going shopping with Tsukushi for Yuuki-chan's graduation gift. By the way, tell the others: we're having a going away party for Yuuki-chan tomorrow night at my place. Make sure to be there!"

Rui blinked. "Going away party?" he asked, confused. Had he missed something?

"Oh, yeah! Yuuki-chan apparently got an amazing job offer to work in a London firm! She's leaving in two weeks. Tsukushi and I figured she'll be busy packing and making arrangements, so we're having the party earlier rather than later in case she's too busy later on."

"Ehh, she's landed a good job then. Good for her," Rui commented before hanging up.

Soujiroh looked up from the girl who was nestled into his side. "What's up?" he asked.

Rui flipped his phone shut and placed it on the table. "Apparently Yuuki-chan is graduating and moving to London for work. Tsukasa isn't coming because he and Tsukushi are shopping for her graduation gift, and the farewell party is tomorrow."

Soujiroh looked a little shellshocked. "Yuuki is moving… to London?"

Akira looked up from the middle-aged woman he was flirting with. "You mean you didn't know? I would've thought you would be the first person she would go to with that news."

Soujiroh extricated himself from the girls who were wrapped around him. "I didn't, no clue at all. Good for her though, commoners like her don't get this kind of opportunity often. Excuse me," he said abruptly, leaving the little mezzanine area.

"Sou-kun!" the girls called, pouting. Without him here, they would be made to leave the VIP area and go back downstairs. Over their heads, Rui and Akira shared a meaningful glance. They both knew where Soujiroh was going.

Yuuki tied her long hair back into a bun, rolled up her sleeves, and narrowed her eyes in determination. "It's time… to start packing!" she declared. She knew the apartment she was living in would be a small expat's apartment, so she would have to throw away most of her stuff. She wanted to empty out her room so her parents would have the option of renting it out while she was gone if they needed the extra income.

With a big black trash bag in one corner of her room and a huge box in another, Yuuki was prepared to clear her childhood room of all the debris she had accumulated in the first twenty-three years of her life. What she couldn't bear to throw away and didn't want to bring with her would be going into storage in the basement.

Yuuki was immersed in her enormous task - or rather, she had gotten distracted after finding an old shoebox full of pictures of her and Yuuki in their middle school years and was currently flipping through it smiling - that when her parents called her, she jumped in surprise.

"Yuuki! A gentleman is here to see you!" her mother called in a mischievous voice that Yuuki knew meant she would be getting an interrogation after whoever it was left.

"All right, I'll be right down!" she replied, leaving the pictures on the floor and wiping her dusty hands on a rag she'd been using the clear the dust she'd found while digging up things that hadn't been touched in years. She hurried down the stairs and stopped short in surprise when she saw the unexpected guest standing at her door.

"Nishikado-san?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Yuuki-chan, may I talk to you for a second?" he said with a nervous smile. Now she was even more confused - what would he have to be nervous about?

"Um…" she was about to invite him in, but glanced up the stairs and saw her parents peeking at them from the second floor and rolled her eyes, knowing that they would eavesdrop unashamedly at her conversation. She rolled her eyes at them.

"Sure, let me just grab my coat and shoes and we can take a walk in the park. Come on in and wait."

Five minutes later, the two of them were the only ones walking through the dark path winding through the park, pressed against each other for warmth.

"So… what did you want to talk to me about that was so urgent it couldn't wait until tomorrow?" Yuuki prompted curiously.

He coughed. This was it. "How come you didn't tell me you're moving to London?" he blurted out before he could come up with a more tactful way to phrase his question. The moment the words were out he cringed; they now hung between them awkwardly.

"Oh…" she said softly, one side of her mouth quirking up in a smile. "I guess word gets round quickly. Tsukushi told you about the party tomorrow?"

"She… Yuuki-chan, why are you so nonchalant about the whole thing? You're leaving for London in two weeks, and you didn't even tell me?" he exclaimed, his frustration bursting out of him in the moment.

"Huh?" Yuuki asked, completely perplexed. "What are you going on about now? What does it matter to you?" she said, her brow wrinkled in confusion.

"What kind of question is that? Of course I care, Yuuki-chan! We're…" He stopped and considered it for a moment. Really, what were they? He now knew what he wanted them to be, but somehow he was embarrassed to say it out loud. "Anyway, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Ah…" Yuuki was still confused, but tried to make him feel better regardless. "I tried to tell you earlier today, so don't feel like I forgot you or anything!" she offered tentatively, hoping to make him smile again.

Somehow, it didn't work. Instead, his face grew even darker. "You what." He said it flatly, his brows drawing together in a scowl.

"I, um… why are you so worked up about this, though? Are you all right?" she moved closer to him and placed a hand on his forearm, looking up searchingly at him.

He jerked his arm away, scowling, and started pacing up and down. "No, dammit, I'm not all right!" he snarled in frustration. "I didn't realise that was what you wanted to tell me!" There were so many things he wanted to tell her, but he wasn't sure if he could now. He didn't want her to think he was trying to keep her from her dreams, because God knew he wasn't. He just… why had he come here again?

"I understand, and I don't mind, really. It happens all the time. I don't get why you're making such a big deal out of this though. I'm not leaving for two more weeks, even though the party seems like it's on short notice."

He abruptly stopped and whipped around to look at her. "Of course you don't understand!" he said angrily, then his shoulders slumped in resignation. "I just… I wanted to…"

She stepped closer. "Wanted to what?" she prompted.

"I wanted to ask you to date me, okay?" he spat. "After you left earlier… I realised how stupid I was being, because it's only my fear of commitment that made me keep you at arm's length before. I just…" he scrubbed a hand down his face. "I know it's stupid because we would never be like my parents, and yet…" he trailed off helplessly.

"Nishikado-san…" Yuuki said helplessly, not knowing how she should respond to that. This was all she had ever wanted, but just a little too late.

"And today I hear that you're going to London?! I won't stop you, Yuuki-chan. That's not what this is about at all. I'm so proud of you for doing so well at university and getting such a great opportunity. You should definitely go, this will be good for you. Just… don't forget me when you're overseas?" The moment those last words left his mouth, he cringed inwardly. How pathetic!

Yuuki's heart broke a little. He was right - she had no intention of backing out of the offer now that she had accepted. She was excited to live and work overseas. And yet… thinking of all that could have been had the timing just been a little better, she couldn't help but feel wistful.

"Um… Nishikado-san," she started tentatively. "I know I'm going to London, but… that's in two weeks."

He looked up sharply. "Two weeks is hardly - "

She frowned at him. "I wasn't finished," she told him. "Besides, you have a fancy private jet and all. You can visit me whenever you have time."

At her words, hope started to unfurl in his chest. "You mean…?"

"Besides," she continued like she hadn't heard him. "I won't stay in London forever. I'm an only child, you know, and my parents are getting on in life. Of course I would come back to take care of them in their old age."

He pulled her close to him in a crushing hug. "Yuuki-chan…" he whispered, burying his face in her hair. They would make it work - he was determined. This was possibly the most important thing he would ever do.

_Hello everyone! I am back! (Just for now. It's been a while, hasn't it?) Hope you enjoyed this little continuation - this could be it, or I could do one more chapter set a few years in the future some time later, if the plot bunny comes back to me. As always, I would love to hear what you think about this piece._


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